MVE Profile

Margaret Vant Erve: Influences and Techniques

The concept of painting with threads is not a new one. Embroidery has been practiced by many cultures for thousands of years. It is indeed one of the first forms of artistic expression. I have chosen to express my images in this ancient medium because I love it’s rich history, it’s technical challenges, and the beauty and three dimensional quality that thread offers.

Each piece of work begins with a photograph I have taken of a place or study that is special to me. From the photographs I develop a sketch and then determine how I will translate the image into paint and embroidery. I always begin with painting. I use silk paints, which have a fluid translucency and are good for skies and water, textile paints which are more viscous and used on fields or for more opaque backgrounds and pencil crayons are used for details. Once the painting is completed, I transfer the outlines of all my focal points onto the painted fabric and I begin the embroidery. I use machine embroidery sometimes for it’s coarser texture in trees and shrubs. Primarily I use hand embroidery, working with fine silks that can be color blended in the needle, or single strands of cotton flosses. I usually have several needles working at the same time to achieve the color blending I desire.

I am often asked how long each piece takes. This is a hard question to answer because there is always so much work beforehand in discovering the image and working through technical challenges, and again after completion in determining the appropriate framing and bringing it to you, the viewer. Once I have my drawing , it takes between 20 to 60 hours to paint and embroidery a piece.

Another question frequently asked is how I learned this technique. I studied art and textile design at Sheridan College and the Ontario College of Art. Embroidery initially came to me through a tiny shop and school on Heath St. in Toronto called ‘One Stitch at a Time’. I combined my studies at art school with embroidery instruction. I have continued to study with many renowned teachers and in 2001 I completed my two-year teacher's certification through the Embroiderers’ Association of Canada. I teach workshops throughout Canada.